IPL 2020 Auction: 5 Indian players who can go unsold

Every time the IPL player auction is around, there is a definite buzz around the cricket world. It’s no different this year as well. As many as 997 players had registered for the 2020 season which included 215 capped and 754 uncapped players.

The shortlisted players’ list came out and only 332 players made the cut. Among them, 186 players are Indians while the 143 are overseas players. There are three players from Associate nations as well.

With less than a week to go for the auctions, teams will already be analysing on whom to bid for and other strategies. A maximum of 73 spots can be filled and hence, most of the players will face rejections and go unsold.

Thus, here are five Indian players who can go unsold:

Hanuma Vihari

Over the last 12 to 18 months, Hanuma Vihari has gone on to become one of the regular members of the Indian Test team. However, he’s never come in the spotlight for his white-ball game. He does have a decent 50-over record but doesn’t have a great T20 record.

In fact, Vihari has played 74 games and averages just 20.84 and has a strike-rate of 112.35. The Andhra skipper played 24 games in the IPL but hasn’t been able to make an impact at all. He played 17 games in the 2013 season and scored 241 runs. But those runs came at a trickle as he had a strike-rate of 86.69.

After that season, Vihari played five games in 2015 and only two (for Delhi Capitals) in 2019. Thus, the 26-year-old doesn’t really have the numbers to prove his worth. Despite keeping his base price at INR 50 lakhs, Vihari may not find any buyers in the upcoming auction.

Stuart Binny

There was a time when Stuart Binny held key to the balance of the side. He was a crucial member in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) sides for a few years. Between 2013 and 2016, he played almost every game for the team he represented. He even got picked for the Indian team as they were on the hunt for a pace-bowling all-rounder.

However, the last time Binny donned India colours was back in August 2016. Since then, he has not even played a full season of the IPL. His form has dipped quite a bit and he’s fallen off the radar. In fact, over the last three seasons, the seam-bowling all-rounder has played just 23 IPL games.

He has even shifted his Ranji team to Nagaland this season. In the recent past, Binny has been in very good form. However, it may not be a surprise if he doesn’t attract any bid in the upcoming auction.

Varun Chakravarthy

Last year, there was one name on everyone’s mind and that was Varun Chakravarthy. He was sold to the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for a whopping sum of INR 8.4 crore and was the joint-most expensive player in the auction.

The Tamil Nadu mystery spinner had come into the limelight in the 2018 Tamil Nadu Premier League where he bowled very economically and had a significant impact. He brought the success in the 50-over format as well as he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last year.

After taking 22 wickets at an average of 16.68, the spotlight was firmly on Chakravarthy ahead of the IPL auctions last year. KXIP broke the bank for him but played him in just one game. In that match, the mystery spinner conceded 35 runs in three overs and picked up a wicket. Since then, Chakravarthy hasn’t played and hence, there is a big possibility that he will go unsold.

Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary has been in the news for his comments on Twitter. He has tried to prove his record by putting out videos and posts about his past form. However, it doesn’t seem like that is going to help as he is likely going to remain unsold.

The Bengal cricketer has had big bursts in the IPL and performed decently. In 2017, he was very good as he made 324 runs at a strike-rate of 137.29 while playing for the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). He was picked by Kings XI Punjab in 2018 but couldn’t replicate the form and hence, was left out.

He enters this auction at a base price INR 50 lakhs. However, despite that, with the form he is in currently and going by the way teams have picked in the last couple of seasons, it’s unlikely that Tiwary will be able to get a team.

Barinder Sran

In 2016, Barinder Sran made his international debut as India desperately wanted a left-arm seamer to add variety to the attack. The Punjab left-arm pacer made his debut in Australia at the WACA in Perth and took 3/56. He played a handful of games in ODIs and T20Is before he was dropped.

In that year, Sran was in some sort of demand. He was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and did well as he picked up 14 wickets in as many games. However, since then, he’s hardly played or picked wickets. In nine IPL games since the start of 2017, Sran has a mere four wickets and has a tendency to leak runs.

He was a part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) set up last year and played just two games. The Punjab cricketer has set a base price of INR 50 lakhs. However, he may go unsold.

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